People will now have to "campaign their councils" for weekly rubbish
collections, Eric Pickles has said, after many local authorities shunned
Government cash to scrap fortnightly schemes.

The Local Government Secretary has waged a war on councils over their waste policy, once saying that it is a "basic right" for people to put a chicken tikka masala in their bin without having to wait a fortnight for it to be collected.

He offered around £250 million to England's councils to bring back weekly black bag waste schemes but many have said they still cannot afford to go back to more regular collections. Around 90 out of about 250 councils responsible for rubbish collections have signed up for the cash but most are using it to collect slop bucket waste.

Mr Pickles also renewed his criticism of councils that "kick the living daylights out of people" for failing to recycle properly .

"It’s never been just about the collection of the bins," he told the newspaper. "It’s about how disconnected the political classes have become from the people. How they’ve been prepared to kick the living daylights out of people if they’ve put a yoghurt pot in the wrong place in order to get them to recycle."

In the interview, Mr Pickles also revealed his softer side, saying he weeps at romantic comedies, loves to watch birds and paint in watercolours and pastels.

He also admitted his wife "nags" him about his weight and blamed it on a penchant for Shropshire Blue cheese.

"It’s so high in calorific content you need only rub against it and that’s enough," he said.

Asked whether he minds jibes about his larger size, Mr Pickles said he has a "rhinoceros-like" thick skin. But he added: "No one likes being fat. I do try dieting and sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I lapse. I don’t like puddings and I can’t abide chocolate — I just don’t have a sweet tooth. I like crisps, but it’s a long time since I had one.’

Mr Pickles also denied that he wants to be Prime Minister, saying it would be "the world's worst job".